How to Side Hustle: 25 ways to Earn Extra Income

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Do you want to earn extra income but aren't sure where to begin? Want some extra money to pay off debt? I love to side hustle for so many reasons. I have done a ton of different side hustles to earn extra income that you could do too. This side hustle list can help you get started on how to side hustle and make extra income.

Two words: side hustle

I am excited to share this post and a bit horrified at the same time.

I am all about finding different ways to earn extra income. Sometimes I wish I had more time to side hustle and sometimes I have too much on my plate and have to turn down side hustle gigs.

25 side hustle jobs I have done to earn extra income

1. Petsitter- I signed up to be a professional petsitter on Rover. This was a great side hustle job at the time as I was working from home and could really commit to this. First of all, this job is not for everyone. I feel strongly that you must love pets or it is not fair for everyone involved.

2. Potato Chip Taster- I have completed a few of these taste tests and wish I could complete more! I have paid to sit for an hour and taste various food products and provide my opinion.

3. Coffee study panel- I completed a 2 hour panel study on coffee and was paid $150. This study panel was completed with about a dozen other people. We sat around a large table and answered questions from a moderator on all things related to coffee. This was a lot of fun!

4. Sniffer- yes, I have been paid to sniff things and give my opinion. I have sniffed dryer sheets, soap and dish detergent. Each of these sniff tests took about 30-45 minutes and I was compensated between $20 – $45 for my time.

5. Tested shampoo, body wash, mascara and foundation from high end, well known brands – I have done several online surveys where I have been asked to replace my regular skincare products with a tester and record my opinion over the course of a couple weeks. Each study paid between $10-$25 and is an easy way to make money from home and test out products!

6. Vodka drinker – I was provided a large bottle of a well known brand and asked to consume this product over the course of a month. I was not required to drink the entire bottle (ha!) but mainly document how I incorporate the liquor if I was having a cocktail. I was compensated $50 and got to keep the remaining liquor.

7. Curtains- I gave my opinion on how I felt about different drapery rods. These curtain rods came in a bevy of styles and finishes. This took 20 minutes of my time and I was compensated $25.

8. I ate beef jerky- this was the most challenging side hustle I have ever done. I cannot stand beef jerky, but somehow managed to qualify and partake in a 1 hour study where I was allowed to eat as much beef jerky as I wanted and review various flavors. Never again- but I was compensated $40.

9. Donate plasma- this is not for the faint of heart. I tried this for a couple months and it was too much for me. After the initial 4 hour exam of blood work, a physical and filling out paperwork, I was able to donate plasma twice a week, with each visit taking roughly an hour. Compensation was $20 or $25 each visit and was loaded onto a pre-paid Visa card I could use anywhere. While many people do this on a regular basis and donating plasma benefits numerous people, it wasn't my cup of tea. I fainted on my last visit while donating and that was the end of that!

10. Dog Walker- this is a really great side hustle that can be pretty consistent. I used to dog walk for 30 minutes and charged $20 per walk. Most of my clients needed me 3-4 times a week and this was regular income. Again, I used Rover but you can do a quick google search for pet sitters in the area. There are usually companies hiring as this business seems to be booming!

11. Played a video game – this study was done through a local college. I found the ad posted online through the school's local newspaper/website. I was with a team of 3 other people around a computer and the study was how well we worked as a team solving a problem in a video game. Students receive grants to test theories/studies and use the grant money to pay for their research, which includes paying others for their time. I was paid $50 for 1 1/2 hours of my time.

12. Part time retail job over the holidays– I wasn't able to go home over the holidays so I sought out a part time holiday job. Because I worked a full time, Monday to Friday job, I opted for 1-2 evening shifts and 1 weekend day. This amounted to 12-16 hours a week and between $140-$190 a week before taxes. Another bonus was the company discount, which was a 35% discount for seasonal employees. I even stayed on with the company after the holidays for a few months as I enjoyed working with my fellow employees and genuinely liked the company I worked for.

13. Used my cell phone to make money. I downloaded a few apps onto my cell phone that I used when grocery shopping. I would complete quick surveys in 3-10 minutes and get compensated $3-$10 for each survey I completed. These surveys consisted of taking a few photos of a grocery display or answering a few questions through the app.

14. Sold textbooks from college via Craigslist and Half.com, which is owned by eBay. Selling your college textbooks back to your school is one of the worst ways to make money and very rarely pay well.

When I completed my 2nd college degree, I had a textbook that I purchased new for a little over $300. This was a new textbook and could not be purchased used anywhere- trust me, I looked! When I went to see how much the school was offering to buy it back, I was offered ZERO dollars because the school wasn't sure it would be using the textbook again.

So I posted the book online at Half.com and it sold for roughly $250 within a month of posting.

15. Sold old stuff on Craigslist. When I moved, I got rid of a ton of stuff on Craigslist. Since my goal was to become more of a minimalist, and I just had stuff laying around, I decided to try my luck. I have sold everything from patio furniture to books to leftover pavers from a home improvement project. My biggest tips would be to provide a full description with lots of pictures.

16. Sold old electronics on eBay – this is an oldie, but a goodie. I found a pile of old cell phones and a digital camera. I had no use for any of these, and each one surprisingly sold, including a broken Blackberry.

17. Sold an apple laptop that was broken for parts- thanks to spilling an entire drink on the keyboard and then dropping it on the floor, my laptop was no more. After Apple was able to somehow salvage my hard drive, I was left wondering what to do with it. After putting an ad on Craigslist, I received numerous emails from people who wanted to buy my laptop and I accepted an offer for $350. The person who bought my laptop has an eBay shop where he sells individual parts and pieces, so it worked out perfect for each of us.

18. Sold Halloween outfits on eBay- this is most profitable in September and beginning of October. I have also sold dog costumes my dogs have worn over the holidays. My dogs wore their costumes for a couple hours on Halloween, but that's it! I have the photos and memories and don't need to keep every costume or outfit they wear. People will pay for dog costumes, and I have easily made back the money I initially spent!

19. Participated in a medical study- this is a great way to accomplish a couple things- improve your health and get compensated for it! I participated in a particular study that compensated me $100 for each return visit and this study lasted several months. It eventually rolled over into a similar study and I was compensated a similar amount. There are a ton of medical studies out there, such as quitting smoking, asthma, ADHD, depression, etc.

20. Freelanced in my field of work. Every couple years, I help similar companies in my field of work with updating their records, renewing certifications with the state and filing. Each job ranged between 10-15 hours and paid around $300.

21.I signed up to be a driver for Lyft and tried this for a couple weeks. Lyft, Uber, Sidecar and Flywheel are ride share programs in my city. Ultimately it wasn't for me, but I am amazed how much drivers are making! I have met several people that do this part time and full time. It takes about a week to go through the entire set-up process. You have to have a smartphone for this as the program runs through an app. It takes about a week to get paid for each ride that you complete.

22. Accepted a short term contract position. I accepted a 3 month contract position on top of my regular, full time job. The contract position was similar to my full time job title but gave me the opportunity to branch out to a slightly different line of work that I hadn't done before. This position turned into 6 months and there were numerous benefits to accepting the contract. While the pay rate was just good, not great, I was able to work from home, learn a new niche in my field of work, make new contacts and update my resume!

23. Mystery shopping. This is becoming more and more popular as there are a ton of websites you can sign up with. I have been paid flat fees plus purchase reimbursement. This includes your basic retail shopping and free meals (not fast food.) But I have also completed shops that include trips to the aquarium, sporting events, and theme parks.

24. Online shopping and cash back. This isn't really a side hustle as you have to spend money to make money, but if you are going to buy something online, use Ebates and get paid for it! This is an easy way to make cash.

Here's a quick tutorial on how to use Ebates to make money!

https://youtu.be/nhBcb7auYro

Ibotta is another free cell phone app. You use it after you go grocery shopping and use your receipt. It's basically a rebate app, so you can earn anywhere from 50 cents to $5 off everything you buy.

My favorite part about this app is that it's not always brand specific, like a lot of coupons are. So you'll be able to scan “any brand of bread” for 50 cents off, etc. If you do coupon – you can STILL use Ibotta and get a rebate. For the diehard couponers out there, this will often result in getting an item for FREE. Crazy, right?

If you want to grab the Ibotta app and start making money off your grocery receipts, click here to get started. You will receive a cash bonus of $10 when you scan your first item!

25. Cleaned someone's closet. This was a referral through a customer and I got paid hourly to organize and clean a master closet. This took an afternoon and I made about $100.

Ebates

Ebates is my absolute favorite company to use when I’m shopping online. Hello, it’s free money!

Every time I shop online, I always start at Ebates. They have a list of all the places you normally shop at and you just click on the store you want to visit online.

After you make a purchase, you earn a percentage of the sale! They literally give you cash back on every purchase you make. The cash back ranges from 1% to 14%. The money is then deposited into your PayPal account.

Ibotta

This cell phone app helps you make money off your grocery receipts. Yup, for real! You use it after you go grocery shopping and use your receipt. It’s basically a rebate app, so you can earn anywhere from 50 cents to $5 off everything you buy.

My favorite part about Ibotta is that it’s not always brand specific, like a lot of coupons are. So you’ll be able to scan “any brand of bread” for 50 cents off, etc. If you do coupon – you can STILL use Ibotta and get a rebate.

For the diehard couponers out there, this will often result in getting an item for FREE. When you sign up, you will receive a $10 cash bonus when you make your first scan. Join Ibotta here!

Take surveys

I have made thousands of dollars over the past few years from taking surveys online!

There are a handful of companies that I love to use and earn cash back into my PayPal account, as well as reward points that I can use at places like Target, Walmart and Macy's.

Start a blog

Blogging has totally changed my life. I even share my online income reports so other people can see how I got started and how I am growing.

Become an Uber or Lyft driver

Work your own schedule and make mad cash! I know plenty of drivers that work all kinds of different time shifts, whether it's working during rush hour, happy hour or in the evenings. Uber even offers bonuses and extra incentives all the time.

Whether you want to start an emergency fund or a vacation fund, you have to start setting some money aside. If you’re like most people and struggle with saving, you should consider using Digit or Qapital.

Qapital is a totally free app that let's you decide how much money you want to save every time you make a purchase. You can pick from $1 all the way up to $5.

So let's say I spend $24.05 at the grocery store. Qapital will then transfer $1 to my savings account.

You can link as many debit cards or credit cards as you want to Qapital. So even if you use a credit card to make a purchase, you can pick one bank account to transfer the $1 to your Qapital saving account. Click here to learn more about Qapital.

Digit lets you save money each week from your checking account. What I really like about Digit is that it analyzes my bank account and determines how much I can really save per week.

Some weeks it might be $5 and other times it might be $20. You don’t have to worry about overdraft and can contribute less or more if you need to. You can learn more about Digit here.

The only downside to Digit is they charge $2.99 per month to use their service. I don’t mind the fee though since it’s helping me save money every week. If the fee stressed you out, use Qapital!

Rent out your space on AirBnB

Over the past couple of years, I have stayed at a handful of AirBnB's and saved a ton of money. I've been able to rent an entire house, condo and apartment instead of a room at a hotel. Have you ever thought about renting out your home for a weekend?

You can learn more about how to use AirBnB here. Using the link, you will also get a coupon for $40 off your first stay anywhere!

Bonus:Don't forget that you can start a blog! I made over $13,000 in six months blogging part time! Here's how I did it and you can too! If you are thinking about starting a blog, this tutorial will help you start a blog today. You’ll also get a FREE domain name for a year! I was able to quit my job and blog full time, all within my first year of blogging. I am really glad I took a chance and started a blog! I invested around $100 to start my blog using Bluehost, and I made $13,000 in 6 months of blogging. That’s the best return of investment ever!

Do you side hustle? I would love to hear what you have done to earn extra income!

7 Comments

I was just thinking about donating plasma. The local center says you can make up to $200 a month, but I was worried it was painful. I’m sorry you fainted! Maybe it’s not worth it after all.

Kristin
on February 4, 2015 at 12:30 pm

I thought about writing an entire post on this because it’s really fascinating! I still have the scars to prove it, ha! You can definitely make $200+ a month depending on the facility you go to. I was shocked how many people do this on a regular basis and it’s totally legit. I just couldn’t handle it 🙂

Austin
on February 15, 2015 at 9:55 am

kristen,

I found this article to be very interesting. Would it be possible for you to elaborate more on how other people can sign up for some of these focus groups and testing products?

Austin

Kristin
on February 15, 2015 at 10:40 am

Hi Austin, thanks for stopping by! I am going to be doing more posts about side hustle jobs in detail, including research studies and focus groups, in the coming weeks. I would start with the Mystery Shopping Forum, it’s a great resource for starting out. I would also check out Craigslist, as a lot of companies and local colleges post for research studies. I hope this helps and good luck!

kylee
on October 21, 2015 at 12:35 pm

These are fun ideas, but you don’t really tell us where you were able to find some of these side hustles. I’m really curious, as I really need to find a little extra income, but I already work full-time, and a lot of these ideas sound neat!